And We Live Again!
by ashangel101010
Summary: Sequel to "Black Star Quilt" Story. Disclaimer- I own nothing in the Star Wars universe or anything in any universe; I just like writing stories in that lo Ren decides to read the file of a sick, and possibly dying, Armitage Hux to figure out how he can help him. Meanwhile, Armitage Hux decides to watch his favorite cartoon of all time with Darth Vader.
1. Stone By Day

And We Live Again! Chapter One

* * *

Suggested Theme:

Main Theme- Birden by Yoko Kanno feat. Arnór Dan

* * *

For the first time in a long time, Kylo Ren is able to sleep without the Force sending him hellish visions of him being torn apart. And it all has to do with the fact that General Hux is suffering more than him. In fact, Kylo Ren is 66% certain that Hux is dying as he sleeps peacefully in his king-size bed. And he sleeps deeply for nearly seven, dreamless hours. When he wakes up, he isn't covered in sweat and notices that for once he hasn't torn apart his sheets while he slept. He then heads to his bathroom to do his morning routine, which takes him about an hour and thirty minutes, and then dresses himself in his normal attire.

 _Okay, what do I need to do today? Oh yeah, make sure that Hux doesn't die. But I probably should make him some breakfast. I'm 99% certain that the mess food might be slowly poisoning Hux's already dying body!_ Kylo then heads for his kitchen and opens his fridge and his small pantry to see what ingredients he has to work with.

 _Let's see eggs, milk, butter, cream, flour, strawberries, raspberries, one of the Emperor's Eyes, sugar, and etc. Hmm, I could make Hux some strawberry and raspberry crepes; those are light and should give Hux's body much needed sugar. But what if Hux is allergic to strawberries? I better check with his medical file to make sure that I don't accidently kill him!_ Kylo closes his fridge and heads back to his bedroom to get his datapad. He logs into the First Order database and pulls up Hux's file within seconds.

 _Wow, he graduated from the Academy at eighteen! At nineteen, his first assignment was to…the Intelligence division? Okay, I guess that would explain Hux's mastery of the ice-king face. But, there's a gap in his time there like from barely a month after he joined to twenty-one. Was what he did during that time so classified that it's not even on his file? Even with my clearance level?_ Kylo scrolls through Hux's military service, which was basically his service time on various ships and going through ranks like a death stick addict, to reach his medical records.

 _Okay, starts at ten and so far nothing wrong there except the (wise) doctor recommending him to gain ten pounds. Again, same recommendation at eleven. And twelve. And so on. Force, he has perfect health, minus the odd sick day, for most of his life! And apparently the inability to gain a measly ten pounds to his skeletal body. But that might have to do with the fact that he's apparently allergic to mammal meat, which might explain the weight problems. Oh, but there is something to note at sixteen and it looks like he was…_

And Kylo drops the datapad.

* * *

Armitage Hux cried himself to sleep that very early morning. And he slept all the while clutching Darth Vader to his chest for nearly six hours. Or really the durasteel box containing Darth Vader. Either way, Darth Vader kept his promise. He made no comment when Hux decided to wake up at 0800.

"Oh, pfassk…you're still here?" Hux groggily asks when he sees the blue-tinted Force Ghost of Darth Vader standing beside his bed. _Kriff, my head hurts! I need tea. No, wait, I need to brush my teeth, then clean my face, and then get dressed—_

" ** _I will always be here._** " _I wish my parents told me that. Even if it would, ultimately, be a lie._ Hux looks away out of shame for his traitorous thought. _They did the best they could!_ Darth Vader feels the remorse radiating from Hux and decides to be silent.

"…I'll be back in twenty minutes." Hux is able to mutter as he finally pulls himself together and heads to the 'fresher for his morning routine. And it takes him exactly twenty minutes and thirty seconds. The additional thirty seconds was because he was considering changing into his uniform and heading in for morning shift. _No, my head is still killing me and I would rather not have Mitaka incessantly worrying about me again. It was bad enough yesterday that I had to "negotiate" with him. He wanted me to take the rest of the week off, but I was able to get it down to just taking the morning shift off!_

" ** _Perhaps you should heed the advice of your Lieutenant._** " Hux rolls his eyes as he walks out of his 'fresher. _Oh, please, I just need a morning of not doing anything except drinking some tea and watching Gargoyles and I'll be right as snow!_ He swears that he sees Vader shake his helmeted head a bit like the Commandant does whenever he did something unwise. Like breaking his combat instructor's arm on his first day at the Academy.

" ** _You need sustenance._** " Hux wonders if Vader was this…compassionate during his life. _More so than Kylo Ren! But at least Kylo didn't drag me to medbay like he wanted to…I wonder if he's sleeping. Or training. Well, he's not using the Force on his room because I didn't hear anything break…I really got to look into Force-soundproof-walls for him. His walls are just regular soundproof._

"I'm the kind of person who can't eat immediately after waking; I get nauseous when I do that. I promise I'll eat something an hour from now, but I really want to watch _Gargoyles_ right now!" Hux promises the mother hen Force Ghost and heads to his desk. He goes to the last drawer and pulls out a red datapad about the size of an infant and thicker than a Condor dragon's hide.

" ** _What is Gargoyles?_** " _Wow, I think I'm in the same kind of situation I was in with Kylo Ren about Labyrinth. Well, except I'm more certain that Darth Vader won't judge me for my peculiar tastes. Okay, I should go with the short version because I would rather not sit through and watch season one again!_ Hux walks to his untidy bed and gets under the covers but sits up like he's reading a late-night report. He turns to Darth Vader, who is still standing by his bed, and gives him a puckish grin.

" _Gargoyles_ is a cartoon about gargoyles who have been frozen in stone by a magic spell for a thousand years and wake up in the Isle of Manhattan. Goliath, the leader of one of the last gargoyle clans, has to do battle with Demona, his former lover, and Xanatos, and well a bunch of other minor villains. Luckily, he receives help from Elisa Maza, a badass detective with a sweet red car. Oh, and there's this sexual tension between them where it gets to the point that you have to shout, 'When will these two kiss!?' periodically!" Of course, Hux wants a reaction from the Force Ghost. But it takes a solid minute before Vader finally replies.

" ** _I see._** " _Huh, his reaction is exactly like mine when the Commandant first explained Gargoyles to me. He even used the same words. Well, I just better do what the Commandant did. Shut up and just play the damn show already!_ He turns on the datapad and hits a light-green icon that looks like a demon with bat wings. Immediately, a yellow searchlight illuminates the title of the show and then the magical, baritone voice of Goliath sounds:

 _"_ _1,000 years ago, superstition and the sword ruled. It was a time of darkness. It was a world of fear. It was the age of gargoyles…"_

* * *

Kylo Ren would have broken down Hux's door with the Force if it wasn't for the simple, _innocent_ , fact that Hux left his door unlock. Most likely, anticipating that the Master of the Knights of Ren would be keeping his promise. Either way, Kylo Ren bursts into Hux's room unannounced.

Hux hears Kylo's heavy, speedy footfalls but refuses to revert his eyes from the screen. Right now, he is watching a chained-up Puck just teasing the ever-loving poodoo out of Demona. He's also in the middle of eating his third peach muffin and drinking his second cup of Stewjon green tea.

Darth Vader _insisted_ that he needed to eat as much as possible; the Sith Lord wanted him to eat a lot of meat, but Hux set him straight by telling him of his mammal meat allergy. Plus, he does not enjoy consuming meat in the morning because it goes right through him like caf.

Hux felt full after eating half of his second muffin, but Darth Vader practically Force-glared him into eating another. _It's not like I'll actually gain any weight from this! You're worse than Jacen!_ Hux nearly huffed at him.

" ** _Who is Jacen?_** " Darth Vader asked and Hux was going to reply when Kylo stomped in. _Oh Force, his footsteps sound angry! Great, what went wrong? Looks like I will actually have to return for the lunch shift after all. Mitaka is going to be so annoyed with me!_ Hux sets down his muffin and cup of tea on his plastic, black and red tray.

 _"_ _Serving humans is fun. They have a sense of humor._ _ **You**_ _have none!"_ Hux hears Puck rhyme. He smirks like the free-spirited child that he can be. Sometimes.

"Take off your pants." Kylo practically growls.

"What!"

" ** _What?_** "

Both Vader and Hux utter in unison, but Kylo can only hear Hux's disbelief. And obvious refusal.

 _"_ _Perhaps not, Puck, but I have_ _ **you**_ _."_ It is the last thing that Hux hears before having his covers violently torn from him along with his tray. He hears the tray hit the wall and hears the sound of his beautiful glass tea cup shatter. His red datapad falls to the floor and shuts off its projection, and Hux hope it didn't break on impact with the floor. But that doesn't quite matter now, since Hux is shocked by Kylo's paroxysm.

"Take. Off. Your. Pants." Kylo repeats slowly so Hux cannot possibly misconstrue the meaning of his words. Hux crosses his mismatched arms and glares at him with the full coldness of his ice-blue eyes.

"No." Hux puts the entirety of his will into that monosyllable. _I refuse to be cowed by Kylo to do something as silly as strip—_

Kylo decides to use the Force on him again. But this time, it is not to hold him down. No, he is making him float above his bed like he's in zero-gravity. Hux has always found zero-gravity sacred; from his time on Den Siva's ship, zero-gravity was his chance to be like the dragon he always wanted to be and fly. Or, realistically, float. Nonetheless, being in zero-gravity had always left him feeling blest.

But, right now, with his arms being forced above his hands and his feet being pulled down, he feels like he's being stretched on some invisible rack from the Old Republic. Or, in this case, from the Sith Empire. It hurts, but it's not the worst pain he's ever suffered for. And the tears only begin to well in his eyes when Kylo's left hand fingers the waistband of his pajama pants.

" ** _Kylo, stop this madness!_** " And Hux feels almost happy at Darth Vader's evident disapproval of Kylo's actions. _Oh thank the Force that this is something that even a pfassking Sith Lord would disapprove of!_ Hux opens his mouth to parrot Darth Vader's words, but Kylo Ren uses his right hand to gag him. Hux is mildly impressed that he's still floating, since Kylo Ren was using his right hand for the Force, but that is mostly overtaken by his distress.

 _No, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO, PLEASE STOP, KYLO!_

And Kylo Ren yanks down his pants.

* * *

 _This is…so much worse!_ Kylo nearly bemoans as he assesses the mutilation on Hux's thin, thin legs. It is like looking at red lightning forced from plasma into flesh; Hux's nearly white legs are marred by red, redder than his burned arm, jags. Like someone took feral, mutated, miniature Lamproids and inserted them into his legs. And left them in there for roughly twelve hours. Letting them squirm and tear their frenzied bodies through his legs. _That really happened…oh, it really happened!_ But Kylo knows that's not all of the damage was caused by the Lamproids.

 _Chemical burns…the kind that takes months of Bacta treatments and at least a solid month in a Bacta tank to heal. But Hux only got only a week of immersion in a Bacta tank and month of intense physical therapy._ And Kylo can feel himself being transported once more back to Hux's day-long torture session. At the beginning, he is dragged from his bed and stripped to his underwear. He is then strapped to a metal table in a room reeking of bleach. There is a clock counting how long he can last in the room before passing out or until he surrendered.

 _But Hux doesn't surrender. No, he stayed conscious, even after having his legs belted, even after they were hosed down with burning, burning chemicals, even after the assault of the Lamproids. Even after they ripped out his fingernails and toenails. Some tears and groans from his bruised face, but not a single word of surrender from his thin, split lips._ Kylo can even feel the hideous protrusions through his gloves; they feel like the gnarled, deaden roots of trees on Malachor V.

 _Twenty-four hours. It took twenty-four hours of straight torture for him to pass out, and he only passed out because, "I could've gone on another day or so, but my sixteenth birthday finally began and I didn't want to spend my entire birthday being tortured, so I chose to pass out!" And that was the first thing he said to the doctors once he was out of the Bacta tank._ Kylo believes, almost like a bygone fairytale, Hux had the prettiest legs in the Academy because they were long and beautifully sculpted. And so, his torturer took the most beautiful feature of Hux and rendered it hideous.

 _But his face, why didn't the torturer go for his face more? It was just a couple of punches and nothing else. Was the torturer actually under strict orders not to go for his face? Yet, he's allowed to go hog-wild on his legs? Or maybe it was because the torturer found Hux's face ugly? Hux's face is not ugly! His flickering eyes are so—_ Kylo's eyes reach Hux's face.

He's rendered breathless.

"Please, please, please, _stop_." Hux's eyes are red and pink from his tear; his small nose is leaking, mingling with the tears streaking across his trembling, pale face. His voice sounds hoarse like he's been chanting that phrase, those words, for hours instead of the mere ten minutes it took for Kylo Ren to stop looking at…. The proof of his manhood. The memory of the Commandant leaving his life.

And Hux retches his mouth free from Kylo's right hand and coughs, spraying droplets of blood onto Kylo Ren's mask.

Kylo Ren drops him with Hux's head almost hitting the durasteel box.

And he walks away silently,

While Hux continues his cycle of crying and coughing, certainly ruining his sheets.

And Darth Vader witnesses the wreckage his grandson left in his wake.

* * *

Lieutenant Dopheld Mitaka was as happy as he can be. He has not seen the General this morning or even at the start of the lunch shift. _The General has decided to take the day-off. It's not a week, but at least it's not a mere morning like he wanted._ Mitaka practically hums out loud.

And what's even better, Kylo Ren has yet to make his usual, destructive appearance. _Then again, he's been away on a mission for the past three days, while the General has been working himself bloody again._

Mitaka is well-aware of Hux's tendencies to put himself in harm's way. Back in the Academy, through the crack of a bathroom stall, he saw a seventeen-year-old Armitage Hux coughing into a sink. At first, he thought Hux just had some horrible cold and couldn't contain his coughing anymore. But then he saw red painting the grey sink and the grey mirror.

It was blood, Hux's blood.

And Hux coughed, and coughed, and coughed…

Until he coughed no more. And then, Hux simply wet some paper towels and began furiously scrubbing until the grey was grey again. Until the grey was sanitized and untarnished.

Hux left, while Mitaka stayed in his stall for the rest of his lunch period. He was…lost in his thoughts. _Armitage Hux the Prodigy, Armitage Hux the best student that the Academy has ever produced, Armitage Hux the Commandant's bastard…just coughed up half a liter of blood and cleaned it up like it was normal. Like he was giving one of his effortless speeches._

 _And he does this, behind closed doors. So no one can see him. See his sickness? See his weakness? Or, perhaps, he truly believes that no one would care. Because who would care about a perfect bastard like him?_ But Mitaka cared. Because…because he found someone else pretending to be fine. When he was anything but.

And he's successful at it.

And sixteen-year-old Mitaka made his troth: he would help Hux when he clearly wouldn't do it for himself.

Mitaka would leave green tea, which he would buy from the black market, out for Hux whenever the studious red-head decided to pull a late-night cram session in the library.

He would leave out hand-stitched handkerchiefs whenever Hux had a big speech to give. Because when Mitaka caught Hux coughing up blood the first time, he found out that Hux had to give a speech later that day.

He would leave out hot towels whenever Hux got sent to the Commandant's office. Mitaka always imagined that being the Commandant's perfect son was more trying than giving a speech.

He did all of that and more until Hux graduated at eighteen and left for some secret assignment at nineteen. And Mitaka had to wait many, many years before he was in Hux's orbit again. And he resumed his duty as Hux's invisible protector.

But then, Kylo Ren choked him and Hux had to intercede to be his protector.

He hadn't felt like such a failure since….

 _But that's all in the past. Hux is taking the day-off. Kylo Ren is actually quiet. And I am fine!_ And Mitaka believes this until Lieutenant Colonel Zack had to show him a video. A video recovered from a broken elevator. A video about General Hux and Kylo Ren.

Kylo Ren has General Hux pinned to the floor stained with blood that Hux coughed up mere moments ago. Kylo Ren rips through the latches on the General's greatcoat and on his tunic, revealing his pale and supremely underweight frame. His leather-clad hands roam across the General's chest like he's trying to find the chink in his boney armor. Hux is saying something, but Mitaka does not hear it. In fact, he does not hear any sound at all, except the intensity of his own psyche.

 _A man in black clawing and ripping through Momma's—_

 _Blood under Daddy's red-head—_

 _Stop._

 _Stop!_

 _STOP!_

 ** _NO!_**

 ** _It is happening again….._**

* * *

Lieutenant Colonel Zack is terrified. And while that is a natural state of being thanks to _Darth Tantrum_ , but he's with the last person in the galaxy that should be able to scare him shitless. Lieutenant Dopheld Mitaka.

Mitaka is the sweetest person aboard the ship and perhaps in the entire First Order. He can be strict, but he's not cold like General Hux or pfassking psychopath like Kylo Ren. No, Mitaka is like a cinnamon roll. He's warm to the point of being gooey; he even gushed like a school girl when Zack showed him holos of his son. He even smells like cinnamon for stars' sake!

But as the video plays, as General Hux is allegedly being molested by Kylo Ren, Mitaka's eyes change. They don't change colors like he's some kind of secret Sith Lord.

No, it's like watching a light slowly die. Brown eyes as light as milk chocolate go to hazel.

Go to caramel.

Go to gingerbread.

Go to hickory.

And stay at umber.

"Lieutenant Colonel." Zack freezes at the hollowness in Mitaka's voice. Zack tries to respond, he can feel his brain trying to supply words for his mouth, but he's unable to say anything.

"Tell Chief Petty Officer Umano to cover my shift. I need to speak with Kylo Ren." Zack's eyes widen at Mitaka, the protocol-abiding ball of sweetness, purposely disrespecting Darth Tantrum.

Zack can only nod his head like the good little subordinate who wants to keep his head. Mitaka, the Cinnamon Roll of the First Order, leaves the security feed room. And Zack has only one thought in mind as he watches the Lieutenant leave.

 _Someone is going to die._

* * *

 **Author's Comments-** Here are the links:

This is what I imagined while writing Mitaka's scene. This clip is from School-Live, or better known as Gakkou Gurashi, episode six, so if you were planning to watch that show, I would advise you not to click on the link. Also, Mitaka is like Yuuki, or the pink-haired girl, in this scene. He goes from happy to…. : a href=" watch?v=jM3t6_9N0cE"Link/a

You know Dopheld Mitaka was supposed to be one of the few people aboard the _Finalizer_ to have a loving, happy childhood free of any sort of tragedy. But then this thought popped in my head: "What if Dopheld Mitaka was the most tragic person on the ship?" Like Kylo Ren and Armitage Hux have tragedies, but Dopheld Mitaka's tragedy beats the ever-loving shit out of theirs. Also, I like to believe that Dopheld Mitaka "watched" Hux from afar while in their Academy.

Anyways, Kylo Ren fucks up….is anyone surprised by that? I'm not.

Oh, and in the next chapter you get to find out if Mitaka snaps and strangles Kylo Ren to death with ropes of uncooked cinnamon rolls!


	2. Warriors By Night

And We Live Again! Chapter Two

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Suggested Theme:

Main Theme- Touch by Daft Punk feat. Paul Williams

* * *

Darth Vader, once again, watches as Armitage Hux cries. For the second time today. But this time, it is not from sleep-depriving stress and hunger-pains. He can hear the broken mantra playing across Armitage's usually quiet mind. _Don't look at me. Don't look at me. Don't look at me. Don't look at me. Don'tlook at me. Don'tlookat me. Don'tlookatme. DON'TLOOKATME!_ Faster and louder his mental chanting becomes, and it cuts through him like Obi-Wan's lightsaber.

His grandson has hurt Armitage.

This time it's not something simply embarrassing and weird as groping Armitage's undernourished chest. No, this time his grandson has, mostly unintentionally, made Armitage remember perhaps the worst time in his young life.

Three out of Armitage's four limbs are burnt in some matter, two by chemicals and one by some other means, but burnt all the same.

He is reminded of Mustafar when he looks at him.

 _DON'TLOOKATME DON'TLOOKATME DON'TLOOKATME DON'TLOOKATME!_

And all he can do is wait for this to pass.

* * *

Kylo Ren is in his room. He is lying on top of his king-sized bed, on top of his black Nabooian-cotton sheets, in full regalia. His lightsaber is still clipped to his belt and he almost wants to take it out and turn it on. And then off. And then on again.

Ben Solo used to do that when he first got his lightsaber. When he was alone and did something that he shouldn't have done. Did something that made him feel…..monstrous.

 _The light of his saber would remind him to be better next time. But he never got better._ Kylo Ren almost says out loud like he would with a fairytale. Ben Solo loved fairytales; Chewie would spend the night telling him the fairytales from his own childhood.

If there was one thing that human and Wookie fairytales have in, it is that there's always an evil monster. The evil monster would delight in terrorizing the innocent, while not thinking about the consequences. Ben Solo hated monsters and wished he was the knight that got to slay them.

And Kylo Ren is the monster from fairytales.

And he enjoyed causing chaos, sowing seeds of destruction upon those who got in the way of his destiny. Or just plain inconvenienced him. Like Mitaka and his Force-damned hot caf! He is a monster that delights in terrorizing the innocent. Like Mitaka.

But then he decides to attack a fellow monster.

But he comes to find out that this fellow monster is not a monster at all. No, this monster that he thought poisoned, seduced, and manipulated his way to the top was not the coldhearted monster that he had always envisioned him being.

No, General Hux is not a monster. But, he suspects that the General views himself as one due to his scars. His many, many scars. Because, right now, Hux has been crying his thoughts, while the Force is screeching and tearing at his mind. It's like the Force is weeping alongside him.

 ** _DON'TLOOKATME DON'TLOOKATME DON'TLOOKATME DON'TLOOKATME DON'TLOOKATME DON'TLOOKATME DON'TLOOKATME DON'TLOOKATME DON'TLOOKATME DON'TLOOKATME DON'TLOOKATME DON'TLOOKATME DON'TLOOKATME DON'TLOOKATME DON'TLOOKATME DON'TLOOKATME!_**

Kylo Ren has been hearing this, Hux's shame, for nearly an hour. He's done it. He's cracked the General's mind wide open. For him and the Force. And he wishes desperately he didn't do that. He wishes that he thought about his actions more carefully before acting.

 _I wish Hux was the monster I made him out to be._

Kylo continues to lie in his bed. Surrounded by regret and self-loathing.

* * *

The Force is not weeping.

It is roaring.

It is storming, crackling like lightning and vibrating like thunder, around the one known as Lieutenant Dopheld Mitaka. He is no Force-user. He is not even Force-sensitive. Yet, the Force has decided to side with him in this fight. Out of rue and out of vengeance.

Mitaka is the Force's avenger.

And no one seems to notice the dark intensity bleeding from Mitaka's eyes. No one sees the nearly neck-breaking tension his body carries. Because no actually sees him. But they move aside because in their minds they hear whispers, _"Move, move, or you'll be eaten by the dead-star dragon!"_ Even the ones that think the warnings are utter nonsense for they see nothing before them, like Captain Phasma, take heed because they can _feel_ it!

They can feel the oncoming storm.

Captain Phasma did not even notice when Mitaka strutted by her to reach the turbolift. And Mitaka did not even bother to acknowledge her existence. All that matters is that he reaches Kylo Ren. And give him retribution.

He reaches the floor in which Kylo Ren likes to lurk about. The walls are littered with week-old scorch marks, while the lights are flickering on and off. Technicians are too terrified to come near Kylo Ren's floor, unless the General orders them otherwise. But Hux, in his infinite mercy, has not done so.

The roaring in Mitaka's mind crescendos.

He doesn't even need to knock on Kylo Ren's door. Kylo Ren appears right as his door slides open. The Master of the Knights of Ren looms over him with his tattered cowl and dark mask. His hands are clenched at his sides like he's about to Force-choke Mitaka for interrupting him in his sulking. Those same hands that molested the General's sickly frame.

"What—" And Mitaka smashes his fist right into Kylo Ren's face. Kylo Ren falls back onto the floor with a massive whump. Mitaka turns and walks back to the turbolift.

 ** _And Our Will has been done._**

* * *

 **Author's Comments-** Here is the link:

This is what Mitaka wished he could do to Kylo Ren. This clip is from episode 131 of _Hunter X Hunter_ , so if you haven't seen the show yet but want to, do not click this link. Mitaka is Gon in the clip, while Kylo Ren gets to be Pitou…..and Hux gets to be Kite. There is no Killua to bring him back: a href=" watch?v=qb5Z8E0MoLY"Link/a

Well, this was short. Then again, this was mostly a build-up to character introspection for the next chapter. And you know, having the Force (for once, both Ashla and Bogan are in agreement for the Cinnamon Roll to punch Kylo's lights out) pretty much give Mitaka enough power to give Kylo Ren a much deserved punch in the face. Or, rather, his mask. And this will have ramifications for Mitaka later, but, for now, I'm going to savor Mitaka punching Kylo Ren like hot chocolate.

Next chapter: Vader and Armitage have a heart-to-heart, Kylo Ren processes what the fuck just happened, and Mitaka fills out some paperwork for Hux.


	3. We were betrayed by the humans we had

And We Live Again! Chapter Three

* * *

Suggested Theme:

Main Theme- Mermaids by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

* * *

It takes two hours for Hux to bring himself out of his nervous breakdown. And, for six heartbeats, he doesn't recognize anything. He doesn't recognize the black quilt with the strange black stars. He doesn't recognize the metal box by his head. He doesn't recognize the violent red covering his left arm and legs. He doesn't recognize the blue apparition of a looming shadow man.

 _Where am I? Where is my blankie? Where is father? He should be threading his fingers through my hair and whispering in my ears, 'I am sorry, my Jedi Prince, I gave you another nightmare. But I am here, I will always love you!' Where is father—_ Hux smashes his forehead against the metal box to snap himself out of the past. He breathes heavily and looks around again. _I am in my quarters. My teacup has been smashed, my muffin has been crushed, and my red datapad might be broken. My pants…are around my ankles, but my underwear is still on. And there's blood on the box? Wait, did I cough blood on the box?_

" ** _No, you nearly cracked your skull against me. And your forehead is bleeding now._** " Darth Vader sounds almost…sarcastic. _Did he get lessons in dry sarcasm from Tarkin? Probably back during his days as General Skywalker. Poodoo, I better put a bandage on it._ Hux swears he sees Darth Vader shaking his head at him. _I'm not going to medbay for a little scratch! But, first, I better pull my pants up._ Hux pulls up his pants and then heads to his 'fresher. He goes through his medicine cabinet and grabs a regular bandage patch and a ceramic jar with a green lid.

" ** _You should at least use bacta for that wound._** " Hux nearly drops his items when he hears Darth Vader; he looks over his shoulder and sees the Force Ghost in his bathroom. The bathroom is only equipped to deal with one underweight General, not an underweight General and a long-dead Sith Lord. _I am starting to see Kylo's point about the lack of space in my room._ Hux bites the inside of his cheek for even thinking _that_ name.

"Bacta doesn't work so well for me, so I have to rely on…..more traditional treatments." Unseals the ceramic jar and reveals a red gelatinous substance. He scoops up about three fingers' worth and slathers it across his forehead; he hisses at feeling the sting and then slaps the patch bandage on his forehead. He seals the jar and puts it back in his medicine cabin.

"It should be about tomorrow night by the time the _scratch_ should be almost gone." Hux says out loud for Vader's benefit.

" ** _If it was bacta. Unless you've found a more potent healing source?_** " Hux rolls his eyes at the unsaid "you-should-still-go-to-the-medbay-and-get-some-stitches" in Vader's tone.

"Herbal medicine seems to do the trick for me. Besides, I can't stand the reek of bleach that seems to permeate all medical facilities." Hux unconsciously balls his fists and grinds his teeth, trying to keep his hatred at bay. If there was one thing that he hated almost as much as High Command, it was hospitals and medbays because they were miniature versions of hospitals.

" ** _I understand your hatred._** " Hux looks Vader up and down, and sheepishly grins. _Of course he would. Actually, I'm surprised he didn't pull a Kylo Ren every day of his life. Well, past life._

" ** _What is 'pulling a Kylo Ren' exactly?_** " _Well, it's the exact opposite of pulling a General Kenobi. No, wait, I think pulling a General Kenobi is some sort of sex act. Or was that pulling an Obi-Wan Kenobi? Qui-Gon Jinn? Shit, I need to look it up on Space Urban Dictionary again. Or I could comm Jaina. No, wait, she's probably flying Jag._ Hux flushes slightly when he remembers that Darth Vader can probably hear everything he's thinking.

"Basically, Force-choking some lesser-ranked…..people and destroying my damn ship." _And giving me a nervous breakdown._ Hux nearly adds. He would rather just…..forget about his latest nervous breakdown. Like he does with any negative thought about his parents. _Because they did their best damn it!_

" ** _Perhaps, we should discuss your nervous breakdown._** " Hux has to bite down on his tongue to prevent a Nagaian explicative from slipping out of his iron-tasting mouth. But he visibly grimaces nonetheless.

"How about I just go and clean up the mess Kylo Ren left behind?" _Like I always do_. Armitage's eyes flash stormily blue in the mirror, reminding Darth Vader of Darth Sidious's Force-lightning. He "steps" aside and let's Armitage pass him; he follows the self-negligent redhead out of the coffin-sized 'fresher and to his closet. Armitage rummages in the very back of his small closet for a black broom inscribed _Nimbus 2001_ and a dustpan. When Armitage comes out of the closet, he groans loudly and hangs his head back. He clearly does not want to clean.

" ** _Why don't you call for a cleaning droid to clean it up?_** " Hux sighs, almost wanting to ignore the Force Ghost. _He's been nothing but patient with me…and Kylo Ren. I won't act like a total prat to him._

"Because I still got my legs." Darth Vader does not respond, and Hux nearly goes red in embarrassment. _Pfassk! I forgot that he—oh, kriff, that was such a shitty thing to say! I wasn't really thinking when I said it and I wasn't trying to be an insensitive ass like Kylo Ren! I should just apologize—_

" ** _Considering your extreme reaction to your own legs, perhaps you should talk about it._** " _Uh, I can't hear you over the sound of…sweeping!_ And Hux begins to sweep like a madman and hopes that Vader will buy that shitty excuse.

The former Sith Lord does not.

" ** _I am speaking directly into your mind, you do not need your ears to hear me. Also, you missed a crumb._** " Darth Vader points at a miniscule crumb right by his ghostly, leather boots. _And this is what I get for eating more than my allotted muffin._ Hux huffs inwardly and sweeps up the crumb. He then goes to the site of his shattered tea cup; he pauses and frowns sadly at it.

"I really liked that chipped teacup." He comments and then sweeps up the broken porcelain. _It deserved better than this. It deserved a death with more dignity. Instead, it gets to be the unfortunate victim of Kylo Ren's Force!_

" ** _That is a lot of anger for a mere teacup._** " Darth Vader waits for Armitage to take the bait. It only takes thirty seconds for him to be on the receiving end of Armitage's glacial glare.

"It was mine. And Kylo knew that and still broke what is mine. Like he does with _my_ ship, _my_ Stormtroopers, and _my_ Lieutenant! And he never gets punished. He gets to do whatever the Seven Sith Hells he wants, while I get reamed for being 'behind' schedule! And I'm still expected to clean-up after him! I would've dropped out of the Academy if I knew my future was going to be playing janitor to an unstable Force-user. Seriously, even kriffing Maris was more stable than him!" Hux practically smashes his dustpan against the trashcan, from under his desk, while emptying it of the broken shards of the teacup.

" ** _Did you ever wonder why he's unstable?_** " _Even Darth Vader will not "excuse" Kylo Ren's misbehavior. It's been a while since a Force-user on my side in regards to Kylo Ren._ Hux moves to pick up his red datapad and examines it. There are no cracks in the glass surface, so it's not broken. This time. He puts the pad back into its drawer.

"It's the Force; it's always the bloody Force. Ashla and Bogan are being horrible to him, aren't they? Like they were with you." From beneath Darth Vader's ghostly helm, his eyes widen, completely surprised that Armitage knows about the Force's true names. Hux closes his eyes and clasps his burnt arm with his white one.

"They are Light, they are Dark. They are Life, they are Death. They are dragons soaring through the skies and scorching the earth below. They are Wild, they are Free. To be burned by them is a fate akin to death." Hux smiles, stretching his cracked lips to the point of bleeding.

" ** _Where did you learn that?_** " Armitage hums in his passing reverie; he tilts his head forward and opens his eyes. Lightning blue has given way to Force green.

"When. I was thirteen." Hux softly corrects and answers. _I feel better now, almost me. Almost gone. Almost home._

" ** _Almost isn't good enough for you. You deserve so much more._** " Armitage muffles a snort with the back of his red hand. His green eyes brim with unshed tears. It's been a while since anyone has been this kind to him.

"Force, you're charming. I…. 'M hungry. Yeah, that's why my head's killing me. I'm going to order me some pea soap, make another cup of tea, and message Mitaka that I'm taking the day off tomorrow. He would freak out if he saw the bandage on my forehead. Bloody worrywart." Hux wipes his tears away and goes back to his desk to get his comlink. He messages Mitaka that he's taking the day-off tomorrow and that he should not be disturbed unless it's an emergency. _Please, Force, Ashla and Bogan, Shiraya, and Love, don't let Kylo Ren fuck anything else up!_

" ** _You should add a loaf of bread to that soup. And a piece of fish. And some pears._** " Armitage lightly laughs.

"Stars, what's with Force-users trying to fatten me up? Or is that just a Skywalker trait?"

* * *

Kylo Ren, the latest Skywalker in the galaxy and also the latest Skywalker to royally fuck-over a ginger, has just regained consciousness. He remembers feeling guilty about what he did to Hux. He remembers Ben Solo and his lightsaber. He remembers answering his door. He remembers seeing Mitaka, the mousey Lieutenant that he nearly Force-choked to death. And, then…pain.

And nothing.

Considering the throbbing pain radiating from his nose and his inability to breathe through it, Kylo has come to the conclusion that Mitaka must have punched him. Mitaka, the one who follows the General like a scared little puppy. Mitaka, the one who spends most of his time taking notes for the General. Mitaka, the one who looks like he weighs about twenty pounds soaking wet.

Mitaka KO'd him.

And Kylo cannot fathom how that was possible. He has read Mitaka's file, only because he wanted to know why the General would save a measly Lieutenant, and knows that Mitaka is not exceptional. He was barely in the top ten percent of his graduating class; his combat scores were passable, while his blaster skills were remarkable. After Hux graduated, Mitaka broke his shooting records. No one has broken Mitaka's records yet.

 _If Mitaka is such an exceptional shot, then why didn't he shoot me? Oh, right, I can stop blaster fire with the Force…but still why did he punch me? And where did he get such tremendous power? It felt like…the Force._ Kylo also knows that Mitaka is no Force-user. All those who enter the Academy are tested for their midi-chlorians count; Mitaka's count was almost as low as Hux's.

 _But it felt like a punch infused with the Force. Not even an amulet can imbue a Force-null like him with such power. Is it possible that the Force was using him? As a messenger? But what is the message?_ Kylo ponders as he lays on his cold floor. Completely ignoring the medical attention his nose is desperately demanding.

 _Is it another way of telling me to pick a side and settle? Or has the Force tire of ripping me apart in my dreams? But why a punch to my face? Why when I was already feeling horrible for…is this about Hux? Is the Force punishing me for my treatment of Hux?_ The Force gives no affirmation. All Kylo can hear is the sound of his shallow breathing.

 _If that's the case, then why didn't the Force punish me for hurting Mitaka? He's arguably more innocent than Hux. Unless the Force was planning to use him for this very purpose. I was meant to hurt Mitaka, but not Hux._

 _What is Hux to the Force? Aside from fulfilling part of my Master's plan with Starkiller. He can see Force Ghosts; he can see grandfather! But he has neither the sensitivity nor the potential to be a Force-user. Naturally._ Kylo tries to rack his memories for a Sith spell that could bring about Force-sensitivity, but his nose begins to throb very painfully like some invisible person is twisting it.

 _Ow, OW! FUCK! Fine, I won't turn Hux into a Force-user…for now. But I have to do something for him. But what? I don't think I can take back what I've done. And I'm damn certain an apology won't work for him…_ Kylo then hears his stomach gurgle. Loudly.

 _How long was I out? I don't think I even had breakfast before the punch. Wait a minute, I was actually planning on making something for Hux! Yes, I was going to take care of him and then…I fucked everything up._ Kylo gets up from the floor and heads to his kitchen.

He licks his lips beneath his helm, tasting the iron-copper of his blood. This time he's going to take care of Hux. This time he's not going to make Hux cry. This time he's not going to fuck anything up.

 _It's time for me to make Hux a crêpe!_

* * *

 **Author's Comments-** You know how I ended the last chapter on an awesome note with Mitaka punching Kylo Ren's punk-ass-bitch-ass out? I think I just lost whatever awesome factor I earned from the last chapter. And, yes, Kylo Ren is going to make that crêpe in full-uniform and without bothering to treat his nose. One of my headcanons is that Kylo Ren really doesn't like his nose. Another headcanon of mine is that Hux isn't used to people saying nice things to him. Nice things have been said to him, but, thanks to his rank now, no one has said anything nice out of their own, motiveless volition. Even Mitaka doesn't offer comforting words to Hux because he's Hux's subordinate and doesn't want to seem like he's undermining Hux's authority. Also, his childhood in the Unknown Regions and several traumas have pretty much left him almost used to a life without anyone saying a kind word to him. So he gets easily emotional when Darth Vader says something nice to him.

Darth Vader deserves some kind of medal for dealing with these two. Then again, he's chiefly there to get those two together. Romantically. Eventually. You know if Kylo Ren quits being a fuck-up and Hux actually pays attention to his painfully thin body and doesn't die from exhaustion. So Vader has his work cut out for him.

Next chapter: Kylo makes an "I'm berry, berry sorry" crêpe, Hux decides if Kylo deserves forgiveness, and Mitaka…..oh, Force, I am so, so sorry, Mitaka.


	4. Frozen in stone by a magic spell for a

And We Live Again! Chapter Four

* * *

Suggested Theme:

Main Theme- Little Amy by Murray Gold

* * *

One of the many traits that Hux inherited from the Commandant was the ability to nap at will. He need only have to think for maybe a second or two and he's out like a light for an hour or two. He uses this ability whenever true sleep eludes him.

Or when a long-dead Force Ghost by the name of Darth Vader pesters him to talk about his nervous breakdown.

So Hux decides to go into "nap mode" as often as he can so he can avoid Darth Vader's pestering. The constant napping gives him much-needed rest, but it also causes Hux to get drowsier upon his waking. His body needs rest, but his body also wants uninterrupted sleep, not these short, power naps.

 ** _KNOCK! KNOCK!_**

Hux is slowly pulled out of his nap; his bleary eyes see Darth Vader standing right by his bed. He quickly closes his eyes and hopes that he can go back to napping. _I was just hearing things or Vader was pulling some kind of Force-trick._

" ** _This is not a trick._** " Vader's voice booms in his head and Hux instinctually clamps his hands over his ears. _I'd forgotten how constantly napping practically gives me the sensitivity of a hangover!_ Hux nearly groans, knowing that the Force is punishing him for his insolence with the ghostly Sith Lord.

 ** _KNOCK! KNOCK!_**

"Please, Love, please let it be Mitaka just needing my signature on something." Hux hears himself plead out loud. But he knows that Mitaka doesn't knock that aggressively. He does not move from his bed; the deluded part of him hopes that maybe if he ignores the knocking the "person" will go away.

" ** _It's not Mitaka._** " And Hux's delusional-self suddenly dies. But he still refuses to move from the bed. _I know that, but if I don't acknowledge him, he'll go away. He's attention-starved and he'll find someone else!_ He tells himself, but his delusional-self is dead and unable to make him believe his words.

" ** _Yes, but you're love-starved._** " And that was the cattiest thing that Hux has ever heard come from Vader's…..disembodied voice. Hux's eyes narrow to lattice agates.

"Fuck off!" He snarls at the Force Ghost of Darth Vader. But Vader does not _fuck off_. He stays right where he is by the bed, looking down at Hux. Being utterly and completely patient with him. Hux feels his eyes burn with tears.

 ** _KNOCK! KNOCK!_**

 ** _KNOCK! KNOCK!_**

"I'm coming, you sick fuck!" Hux shouts with his cracking voice. He flings his quilt from himself and hurls himself to his door. He practically smashes his fingers against the control panel when he opens his door. When the door slides open, he sees Kylo Ren. Kylo Ren has an ornate, silver tray with a metal dome over it.

"WHAT THE KRIFF HAPPENED TO YOUR FOREHEAD!"

* * *

Kylo Ren spent a solid thirty minutes making and decorating his "I'm berry, berry sorry" crêpes for Hux. He was using Chewie's recipe for the crêpes, but he had to substitute Wroshyr lice syrup for chocolate, and he knew that these crêpes would win over Hux. After all, Chewie made these for Ben whenever Han let him down. Ben had crêpes quite often.

Kylo Ren was quite proud of his work; he folded the crêpes like Chewie did, making them look like yellow waffle cones brimming with sliced strawberries and fresh, whipped cream. With the chocolate sauce, he created the First Order logo on the crêpes and on the plate. He finished it off with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a whole strawberry at the tail end of the crêpes.

He nearly bemoaned when he had to cover his beautiful art. But he wanted this to be a surprise for Hux.

A surprise that won't end with Hux in tears.

It was nearly midnight when he left his room and headed for Hux's quarters with Hux's apology on a beautiful, silver tray from Naboo. He did not know if Hux locked his door after his…..latest fuck-up, but he decided not to barge in the scarred ginger's room like the last time. No, he was going to be a prince and knock on his door.

He admittedly knocked a little too hard.

Several times.

" _I'm coming, you sick fuck!_ " He flinched when he heard the cracking in Hux's voice. _I deserved that. I hope Hux will at least eat the crêpes even if he slams the door in my face. Wait, I don't think you can slam the doors here. He might run me through with his sword and I'll let him._ Most of Kylo found it oddly appealing to be cut down by Hux and his strange blade.

 _That would be so wizard!_

The door slide opens, and Kylo's grip partially crushes the tray's handles. Hux's forehead has a square gash stained red with blood. Hux's blood. He could not quell the rage inside him at Hux being hurt again. The leftover hatred at himself for hurting Hux in the first place manifests in his voice.

"WHAT THE KRIFF HAPPENED TO YOUR FOREHEAD!"

* * *

Darth Vader watches, and unfortunately _hears_ , his grandson yelling at Armitage. He restrains himself from visibly sighing and shaking his head. At least, his grandson did not pants the emaciated ginger. But, he doubts his grandson nearly shattering Armitage's eardrums is helping.

"WOULD YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Armitage hollers back at his grandson. The beautiful, silver Nabooian tray shakes in his grandson's hands; he's repressing his urge to lash out. _I had that coming. I yelled at him first…I just need to be patient. Patient. Force, help me…_ His grandson is tempted to concede, but he does not scream back at Armitage.

" ** _He has a gift for you._** " Vader points out to Armitage. The scarred, angry ginger swivels his head towards him; his eyes are Force-lightning blue again and filled with suspicion. _No, he's just going to hurt me again. I don't want him here!_

" ** _He's not going to hurt you. Look at him._** " And Armitage does look at him. He sees the cracked helm looking down at the floor like Kylo doesn't believe he's worthy of looking him in the eyes. His shoulders are slumped like leathery, mud hills, indicating that he's sad about something. Armitage can also see the crushed remains of the handles like Kylo is doing his best at keeping his beasts at bay. Just like the Commandant gripping his sword too tight to keep his demons at bay.

"…Lord Vader claims that you have a gift for me. Is that true?" Kylo does not lift his helm up. _He sounds harsh and it's not purely from anger; he must have made himself hoarse from crying for hours. I need to be…soft?_ His grandson's confusion is evident in the Force, but not to Armitage. His eyes are still cruel like Force-lightning.

"Yes." His grandson says softly through his vocoder. He holds out the tray to Armitage; Armitage looks at the tray hard like he's trying to see what is under the dome with his mind. He takes the tray and then quickly taps a button on the control panel.

The door slides shut, separating his grandson from Armitage.

Armitage stares at the door for a solid minute, waiting to see if Kylo would break down the door. There is no knocking. There is no breaking. And there is certainly no force.

Armitage takes the tray to his desk and lightly lays it on top of his black metal desk. He palms the black knob of the silver dome, testing to make sure it wasn't some kind of pressurized explosive. Darth Vader chooses to remain silent and patiently waits for the inevitable.

Armitage finally lifts the lid and lets it clatter to the floor loudly.

His cold, blue eyes flicker to tepid green.

"It's a crêpe?" Armitage says it like it's his first time seeing crêpes. Like he only knows them through fairytales.

" ** _Crêpes. Two there are, always two._** " Armitage then stares at him quizzically like he's wondering if the last part is a joke or a fact. His eyes then appraise his gift. _I see he gave me a golden fork, here's hoping that he stole it! He also made the First Order logo in chocolate sauce. Twice. It's filled to the brim with whip cream, which he probably made himself because I don't think we even have a can of whip cream on the ship. The crêpes are slightly golden-brown, meaning that they're cooked all the way through, with some slightly burnt edges, but I prefer burnt over undercooked. Oh, and there's a—_

Armitage quickly strengthens his mental shields, making Vader mentally deaf to him. And Darth Vader does not understand why. Right now, he sees Armitage holding up the strawberry that connected the crêpes together. It's about as tall as Armitage's thumb but fatter than his boney digit; it's red like Padmé's lipstick with yellow seeds decorating it like golden nuggets. It's a perfect strawberry, and Vader is mildly impressed that his grandson would relinquish such perfection to Armitage. His grandson has never been one for sharing.

"I'll be right back…..I need Kylo's opinion on this matter." Now, Darth Vader is puzzled. He does not understand why Armitage is being so…..strange about a strawberry. _It's like he's never seen a strawberry before_. But Vader finds the thought ridiculous because surely Armitage has seen a strawberry before. Right?

* * *

Kylo is still standing outside of Hux's private quarters, still gazing at the door like he could melt it with his mind. _All I want to know is if Hux actually ate my "I am berry, berry sorry" crêpes; I don't care if he throws the empty tray at me. I just want Hux to…not be so afraid of me. And emaciated. Force, I am 99% certain that Hux's diet is just tea and soapy soup. I could make him his meals, I could put some much needed fat on his nearly skeletal frame. I should start by making him a dark chocolate fudge cake the size of the Death Star—_

The door slides open, and Kylo sees Hux. With the whole strawberry in his burnt hand. Hux's cheeks are pink and he isn't looking at him directly in the eyes. Or faceplate, really. _Hux is…embarrassed. Oh Force, he didn't like the crêpes! Shit, I should've been minimalistic._ Kylo inwardly berates himself.

"I…need you to come inside. For a moment." Hux quickly steps aside, to let Kylo in. Kylo hesitates for a second before stalking right in, trying not to seem worried by Hux's behavior. Hux then gestures him to follow him with a "come hither" hand sign and they both proceed to Hux's small desk. _I forgot how small Hux's desk is and cluttered…for Force's sake, I really need to find a way to get Hux's room enlarged. Hells, I'd let him live in my room to avoid this kriffing cramped—_

"Kylo, I need you….to promise not to….not to react violently when I ask you this question I have. The same goes for you, Lord Vader." Hux still refuses to look Kylo in the faceplate and he's even avoiding looking in Vader's direction. _Force, I wish I could see Force Ghosts like him. Maybe grandfather knows what this is all about._

"I give you my word as Master Snoke's apprentice that I will not react violently to the question you have." Hux finally looks at him; his eyes are green and filled with apprehension. But he seems to accept Kylo's word and then looks in the direction of his tiny bed.

" ** _I give you my word as Padmé Amidala's husband that I will not react violently to the question that you have._** " And with that, Hux lets the pink flush leave his cheeks. He then holds up the strawberry up for both Kylo and Vader to see.

"What is this?" At first, Kylo thought that Hux was just kriffing with him as some kind of payback for earlier, but Hux's eyes are sparking with curiosity like some sort of skeleton king discovering something new. Kylo is silent for a minute.

" ** _…_** " Unlike Kylo, Darth Vader realized the moment that Armitage asked that question the underfed ginger was serious. And so, Vader decides to let his grandson give the answer. Because he's not confident enough that he wouldn't sound judgmental.

"A strawberry." Kylo finally manages, feeling like he just passed a kidney stone. He, and Vader, hopes that Hux won't take offense. But Hux merely blinks and his mouth becomes a silent "O" shape.

"So this is what a strawberry looks like. And judging by the seeds, it's a fruit, right? I am basing this on human botany because this could actually be considered a vegetable on some planets." The way Hux says all of this, with a fairly even voice and a knowledgeable glint in his eyes, reminds Kylo of Threepio. Well, if Threepio was less neurotic and lost half his weight.

" ** _Yes, strawberry is a fruit._** " Vader finally manages and Armitage smiles triumphantly back at him. He is reminded of himself when he got a compliment from Obi-Wan, which were few and far in between when he was his padawan.

"….so are you going to eat the strawberry?" _Or the crêpes I made for you?_ Hux can hear the subtext behind Kylo's words. So Hux decides to eat the strawberry first and then the crêpes. _But how do I eat a strawberry?_

" ** _Do not eat the green part which are the leaves, just eat the red part. I would start at the bottom tip which is on the opposite end of the part with green leaves._** " And Hux puts the oblong, red tip to his lips and then takes a small bite. A grin lights up his pale features like he's been kissed for the first time.

"Oh!" Kylo feels his heart leap into his mouth when Hux makes the sound. _Oh Force, it sounds so…so cute! I mean it's like the sound a baby gualama makes when he successfully walks for the first time!_ Kylo cannot help but imagine Hux as a baby, ginger gualama.

"It's like sweet water mixed with dirt, but you know not disgusting. Kylo, is that what the sliced up red things are in the crêpes? Strawberries?" Hux hears Kylo a sharp intake of breath. _Uh, did I just break his mind? Is it really inconceivable for someone not to know what a strawberry is? I grew up in the Unknown Regions where cutesy things like strawberries would not survive. But it's here. Like me, but I've never been cute. I'm kind of like a strawberry._

"Yes…please, taste them." _I love it when he says "please"!_ Hux immediately thinks and then goes to pick up the golden fork. He uses the fork like a knife and tries to cut the crêpes into neat little sections, but he mostly makes jagged cuts with whip cream and sliced strawberries spilling from those cuts. White and red, like Hux's hands.

"Oh Force…..it's like riding a Shai-Hulud for the first time! I feel like the Muad'Dib!" Kylo and Vader have no idea what in the Seven Sith Hells he is saying, but they can see that Hux is happy. There is healthy flush to his thin cheeks, his eyes are bright enough to almost glow. And his mouth, stained red from the juices of the strawberries, is perked into a delightful, heartwarming smile. It takes both of their breaths away.

" ** _You might want to eat more slowly. You could choke._** " Vader almost didn't warn him because he has never seen Armitage eating with such gusto. Or that much needed sugar in one sitting. _I know, I know, but it's just so good! I've never had a…midnight snack taste so good! Actually, I don't think I've ever had a midnight snack until now._

"Kylo, if you were a _Finalizer_ cook instead of a knight, I would actually eat every day." Kylo momentarily feels his ego expand, loving Hux's approval, but his stomach drops when he processes the entirety of Hux's comment. _Hux doesn't eat every day? I mean I suspected that since I never see him make his way to the mess hall during his lunch shift. No wonder he's so kriffing skinny! Then again, the First Order food is bland at best and fucking sulfuric at worst. Is that how he got that gash on his forehead? He passed out from not eating enough and hit his head against something?_ Kylo feels the dead-star dragon nipping at his heels. Taunting him with the skeletal remains of General Hux in its hideous mouth.

" ** _What do you eat aboard this ship?_** " Vader asks, while his grandson is being tormented by the dead-star dragon. He hopes that Armitage's voice will pull Kylo away from the dragon before he does something rash. Again.

"Well, I eat a peach muffin for breakfast with my caf in the morning. For lunch, I normally just have some green tea and maybe some kind of soup, but, more often than not, it's just tea. For dinner, I might have some kind of wilted salad with some hard bread or an apple, or maybe a ration bar with caf if I'm swamped with paperwork. Sometimes, I get to eat dried fish or a synthetic protein pack if I'm lucky. Once, I even got to eat some kind of duck, but that was during the party celebrating my promotion to General. But I do take vitamins and other nutritional supplements, so I'm fine!" And it nearly breaks Kylo's heart that Hux is completely fine with this arrangement. Completely fine with his slow starvation. And Kylo beats back the dead-star dragon because Hux needs him.

"Hux, I can make your meals from now on. I….can use my free time productively to make you food." _Holy poodoo, is he offering to feed me AND to not fuck up my ship? This offer is too good to pass up, and it might get Accounting and potentially Human Resources off my back, but why would he do this? As a further apology for being an asshole earlier? Hmm, I feel like that he shouldn't get off this easily, but his food is pretty damn enticing. What do you think, Lord Vader?_ Hux hopes that Vader can figure out a compromise for him.

" ** _You should ask him why. I will tell you if he's lying._** " Vader offers a simple piece of advice, but, for his grandson and Armitage, it's like somehow more complex than learning Ancient Sith. But he knows that these two can figure it out. _Okay_. He hears the simple reply from Armitage.

"Hey, Kylo, why would you do that? I mean you'd be wasting a lot of your time on me. And we aren't….anything." _We're co-commanders, but we don't do anything substantial for each other. Sure, I provide him with 'Troopers for whatever secret mission that Snoke has him go on, but I don't give him some strategy tips beyond the, "For stars' sake, would you at least not Force-choke half of your team to death!" And he doesn't do anything for me, he doesn't protect me, he doesn't endure meetings with High Command, he doesn't fill out paperwork, and he certainly doesn't fix up the control panels that he keeps pfassking breaking! I…but he's trying to fix this fuck-up; I mean that must mean something, right?_ Armitage shovels the penultimate bit of the crêpes into his mouth, not looking at Kylo.

 _How do I answer that? I mean we really aren't anything to each other. We're co-commanders, but we can't even agree on the purpose of the 'Troopers. We're just nuisances to each other…or were. After seeing him coughing up blood and his…scars, I can't think of him as General Who-Has-Never-Suffered-A-Day-In-His-Life anymore. I want to take care of him because he clearly can't do it! But I can't say it like that! Okay, I need to think like an Amidala instead of like…me._ Hux puts the golden fork down and looks at him. He has to wait nearly a minute before he gets his answer.

"I want to care for you if you give me your permission. And I am sorry for…pulling down your pants and seeing your scars. I violated your privacy. And I was wrong about you. You are…..sui generis." Kylo wishes that he was wearing one of his "Prince Amidala" outfits; he would've sounded more polished. And maybe earned a laugh from Hux instead of a pink face with tears in his eyes. _Oh Force…he's not used to compliments at all. I might need to compliment him more often because I really, really am sick of making him cry._

 _Oh Force, I really, really am sick of crying! I think I cried more today than I did in the past three years. I can't even open my mouth because it'll just be a sob. Why are all these Force-users saying nice things to me? I—help me, Lord Vader, you're my only hope!_ Hux feels like he cannot breathe but refuses to open his mouth because he doesn't want to cry again. He hates crying; it gives him headaches and it hurts him more than a blaster bolt to the hip.

" ** _Look at Kylo's face, really look._** " Vader was going to tell him to just cry, but he too was sick of Armitage crying.

Armitage does look and almost gasps.

 _There's a large crack in his mask and I can see something that looks like a nose, but there's blood all over it! He needs help!_ Hux immediately darts into his 'fresher and goes to his medicine cabinet; he grabs a medkit and his jar of healing gel. He heads back out to see that Kylo is still standing there, but he's looking down like a little kid who knows he's going to be in for the tongue-lashing of his life.

"There's a crack in your mask! I saw your…..face was bloody, so I got you a medkit and this great alternative to bacta. You know if you're body just doesn't agree with bacta like mine does. Anyways, before you can take care of me, you need take care of yourself." Hux holds out the healing agents to Kylo; Kylo takes them but still refuses to lift his helm to look him in the eyes.

"Oh! Right, I'll just turn around and let you get to….fixing yourself." Hux tries to turn around, to give Kylo the privacy to take off his mask, but he feels a meaty, leather-clad hand wrap around his burnt wrist. Kylo is stopping him from looking away.

"I saw your legs, you should get to see my face. But, I must warn you that your legs are nicer than my face." _Okay, I always thought he was like some kind of elven sex-god from Lord of the Rings and hid his face so people don't constantly ogle him. I see my legs every day when I shower, but it took me a while to not retch in my mouth when I saw them the first time after—I just need to steel myself and try not to be so openly disgusted. And to have a good apology on standby._ Hux uses every bit of his willpower to prepare himself for whatever horror lay beneath Kylo's mask.

Kylo unlatches his mask and it comes off with a small hiss.

And Hux's resolve vanishes.

 _Oh no…he's hot!_ Kylo Ren has the most perfect asymmetrical face that Hux has ever seen. His ears and mouth are bigger than his cinnamon-colored eyes, but the mouth is what draws most of his attention. They are luscious and bitten-red like the ragged wings of Loveti moths. His face is pale, but not Nagai pale, and there are dark spots that remind Hux more of black stars from a faraway system.

 _Even his nose is pfassking hot!_ Kylo's nose is big, almost as big as the silly doctor that likes to dip his fish sticks in custard and just as pfassking hot. Even with dried blood caking his nostrils, chin, and lips. And even when the hump of it resembles a smashed plum. _Okay, I need to bury this newfound…unnamed something because Kylo needs help! And not my thankfully-hidden-by-my-oversized-sleeping-pants—_

"Hux, are you about to go into another coughing fit? Your face is the same shade of red whenever you go into your coughing fits." Kylo is surprised that Hux didn't make a disgusted face when he took off the mask; he figured at least his broken nose would pull out a grimace. Instead, Hux is redder than his grandmother's lipstick.

" ** _I would suggest getting a wet towel to clean-up the blood from his face._** " Vader advises, hoping that his voice will bring Armitage back from his…..angel-looking. As much as he wants Armitage and his grandson together, he would rather not see their "attraction" to each other. Like with Armitage right now.

"Oh! Yeah, I need to get you a towel for that blood. Uh, be right back!" Hux sprints to his 'fresher and quickly grabs one of his black face towels and slightly wets it. He runs back, cradling the towel between his hands to prevent any of the water to drip onto the floor. He gets close to Kylo, close enough to hear Kylo's quiet, ragged breathing. He brings the wet towel to Kylo's face and begins to dab away the blood. The dried copper becomes a runny watercolor painting that drips bright-red droplets onto Kylo's attire.

"Shit, I should've brought a dried towel too. Didn't mean to bloody your clothes….." The way Hux mumbles the last part like he was being both apologetic and teasing causes Kylo to flush slightly. And he's so happy that Hux is concentrated on his mouth to not even notice the slight red tinge of his cheeks.

"It's okay, it was already covered in the blood of Ew—of enemies….I didn't get to change." Kylo partially mumbles, hoping that Hux isn't too disgusted by his lack of hygiene. _Shit, I made the crêpes without even taking off my gloves! Force, I hope he doesn't get sick later._

"Stars, you're so much like the Commandant!" Instantly, Kylo stiffens and his lips twist into a silent snarl. Hux almost backs away from seeing Kylo's extreme reaction.

" ** _Kylo does not like the Commandant. Try not to mention him again in his presence._** " Vader puts it mildly. He can see the hatred that is rolling off his grandson's mind; his hatred is stemmed from the deep-rooted belief that the Commandant is the one who gave Armitage all of his scars. And his grandson is partially justified in his hatred.

"Fine, just calm the kriff down! If anything, you should be focusing your wrath on the person who did this to you. Seriously, who actually dealt you that mask-cracking, nose-breaking punch? A fellow Knight of Ren? An assassin that you clearly dealt with? The Force?" When Hux changes the subject, Kylo relaxes visibly. His mouth returns to its pout, while his face returns to its mask of indifference.

"It doesn't matter. But I believe I should make amends with Lieutenant Mitaka for….choking him that one time. Would you be fine with me giving Mitaka a week off, so he can spend time with his family?" _Well that subject change wasn't abrupt and suspicious at all! And he's focusing on Mitaka, does that mean Mitaka was the one who hit him? I pfassking doubt it; Mitaka barely passed his hand-to-hand combat courses in the Academy, but his marksmanship makes up that weakness. Maybe, just maybe, Kylo is trying to channel his anger into something selfless? I mean Mitaka really should've taken a week off after getting Force-choked, but he came in the next day ready to serve me caf._ Hux waits for a minute, seeing if Vader was going to say anything, but nothing comes from the Force Ghost.

"Sure, I can have Lieutenant Colonel Zack fill in for him. Considering how Mitaka has a third child under the way, most likely another girl, he'd be overjoy to see his family again. That's very thoughtful of you, Kylo." And Hux's praising words fill Kylo with pleasant shivers. _If being nice to Hux gets me praise, then I might have to keep doing this. And not destroying the ship. Much. And making sure Mitaka comes back semi-functioning. I'm sure he can hide the Force whip burns under his uniform, but I better tell Chantique not to pierce him. Visibly._

"Thank you….so what's the jar for?" Kylo holds out the jar to Hux. Hux puts the bloodied, wet towel on his desk right next to the plate with one section of crêpes left. He then takes the jar from Kylo's outstretched hand and unscrews it to reveal a red, gelatinous substance to Kylo.

"As I said before bacta doesn't really work for me, so I have to use other medical alternatives such as herbal remedies. The Handmaiden Sisters taught me how to make this; it's really effective for cuts and swelling. Not certain if it'll do any good for broken bones though…." _Woah, woah, the Handmaiden Sisters? As in the six daughters of the Echani General Yusanis? As in the ones trained by Jedi Master Atris herself to monitor the Jedi of the Old Republic era and to eliminate those that go to the Dark Side? I had no idea that they're still around! Clearly, their purpose has changed given the whole Jedi Purges. I really, really need to get Hux to tell me more about this later, you know after my nose stops looking like a purple monstrosity._

"Is that why your forehead is red? I thought it was blood and you got hurt again." Hux sees Kylo looking down to the floor like he was the one who gave Hux the gash on his forehead. Hux nearly rolls his eyes at Kylo's egocentrism and developing guilt complex.

"I did. I bashed my head against Lord Vader's box to snap myself out of my latest nervous breakdown. I used the healing gel on my _small_ gash and then stuck a bandage patch on it. It must've came off when you came hammering on my door while I was napping." Hux leaves out the whole "Darth Vader trying to play therapist" part. He swears that he sees Darth Vader cross his arms and give him a look that screams "I'm not going to stop trying to help you, even if you're being more stubborn than a Bantha" with a bit of paternal exasperation thrown in.

"Oh, I can heal it for you. If you want. With the Force." _Huh, I'm not actually surprised by that. He doesn't go to medbay, so he must be using the Force to heal his wounds or something. Then, why the Seven Sith Hells hasn't he healed his broken nose?_ Hux gives an affirming nod. Kylo then goes to remove his gloves and deposit them on the desk. Hux sees even more black stars on Kylo's hands.

"Okay, just hold still. Let me know if I'm hurting you." Hux feels a tingle, like an electric shock, pass through him when Kylo's large fingertips touch the gash. And then something that reminds him of Father. That reminds him of the pitter-patter rainfall on Arkanis. That reminds him of the Commandant's last words.

 _"_ _True love can break any curse, dragonling."_

"Hux, you're crying again….I'm sorry." Kylo pulls his Light-stained fingers from Hux's face when he sees the tears streaking down the pale face. _I just wanted to help him, but I fucked up again. Force, maybe I should just leave—_

"It's not your fault…..I just remembered something happy." _Father and the Commandant. Where do fathers go?_ More tears spill from Hux's eyes and he almost wants to claw out his tear ducts.

" ** _Where Angels dwell?_** " Hux covers his mouth with both of his hands and forces back the sob when he hears Vader's suggestion. He's thought that himself many times over the years. But no matter how hard he thought, no matter how many worlds he went, he never found them.

"Hux, I….need you to look away. I need to re-set my nose." Hux gladly turns around and does his best to wipe away his tears and the snot. He hears an audible crack and a pained hiss following it; it reminds him of the time that the Commandant broke his wrist and re-set it himself. _Honestly, those two are so alike! They always find a way to make me cry, but they would feel bad about it._

" ** _Kylo is very much like a Guarlara; they are fearsome on the outside, but they have kind hearts._** " _I have no idea what a Guarlara is, but I agree? I mean he didn't make fun of me when I cried and he made me those crêpes. So I guess Kylo has a kind heart…under his brutish exterior. Stars, he really is like the Commandant!_ But Hux makes sure not to say any of that out loud.

"You can turn around now." Hux can see that Kylo's beautifully big nose looks like a nose again, minus the swelling and the bruising. Kylo then grabs about three fingers worth of gel from the jar and generously slathers it across his nose; he hisses like a Dragonsnake. He then opens up the medkit and grabs a nose Band-Aid to gently place on his nose.

"Why don't you use the Force to finish healing your nose?" _He did say bones are tricky to heal, but surely he can at least alleviate some of the swelling?_

"I do not want to further disrupt the balance in myself." _I have a feeling saying "I don't want to stain myself further with the accursed Light" wouldn't bode well with him; I did use the Light to heal him. And he probably doesn't believe in the Light or Dark Side of the Force._ Kylo swears that he hears a chuckle from the Force.

Silence ensues between them; neither knowing how to keep the conversation going.

"Okay…..so thank you for the food. And the healing, I can't even tell there was a gash in the first place! It feels so smooth!" Hux attempts to continue the conversation, but Kylo says nothing and just stares at him. _Uh, am I supposed to say something else? Should I just say "Well, it's been fun, so you can go now?" That sounds like an Imperial dismissing a servant! Lord Vader, you got anything for this?_ Hux pleads once more for social competence.

" ** _How about just saying good night to each other?_** " Hux nearly smacks his burnt hand against his forehead for the sheer simplicity of the answer.

"Kylo, goodnight!" Hux immediately says, expecting Kylo to just parrot him back and then leave. Instead, Kylo raises a black eyebrow at him like he said something abnormal. Hux then looks back at Vader who is slightly shaking his head.

" ** _I meant that you should escort him to the door and then say goodnight to him._** " _Ooooooooooh!_ Hux hears his mind's epiphany.

"Uh, what I meant is it's getting…..already late and you need to rest, I need to rest, so….want to head to my door and say goodnight?" _I've been staring at him for a long time, trying to figure out what to say next. But, I'll do what he said. Oh, better not forget my mask!_ Kylo quickly grabs his mask, sees some dismay in Hux's face, but latches it back onto his face.

They go together to Hux's door. Kylo looking like the Master of the Knights of Ren and Snoke's prized Apprentince once more. While Hux looks like a person. An actual living and breathing person who spent the better part of two days crying.

Vader thinks they look wonderful together.

"Well, uh, goodnight. I'll return your tray when you come back for breakfast? I mean you don't have to make all of my meals if you want. Maybe just dinner once a week?" _Does he really think that I would go back on my word? No, no, it's him being considerate like he is with his officers. Well, in the General fashion. He can be fully considerate with me. In his room. Clothed in his weird clothes. With his ginger, ginger hair all sleep-tousled. I want to touch his hair. No, don't do that because that's creepy._ Kylo successfully refrains from touching Hux's hair.

"No, I want to make all of your meals. I have more than enough ingredients to do so. I'll come by around ten. Would that suffice for you?" _I have to wake up at six to get read—no I don't; I don't have to do that until tomorrow. Maybe I can actually get eight hours of sleep!_ Hux gives him a small smile.

"That would be nice. See you then, Live Long and Prosper!" Hux impishly teases. Kylo takes about thirty seconds before he can properly reply to that.

"You too…goodnight, Hux." Kylo settles on, deciding to ignore the last bit of strangeness of Hux. The door slides open and he leaves behind Hux and Vader.

" ** _What was that about?_** " Vader asks curiously. Armitage gives him a saucy, little wink.

"Something Another No Heart once said to Master Square." Hux does love being a cryptic bastard when he gets the chance. _No wonder the Jedi Council spoke only in riddles; it's so fun!_ Vader does not reply.

"Anyways, I'm really full and it's made me really sleepy. Goodnight, Lord Vader." Hux yawns as he hops into bed and pulls his messy covers over himself. With Darth Vader's box still by his head.

" ** _Goodnight, Armitage._** "

* * *

Lieutenant Mitaka found it odd that General Hux wanted to see him at two in the morning for a meeting. At first, he thought Kylo Ren was the one who set-up the meeting because he finally figured out who his assailant was. But then he remembered just because messages from his superior officers started with "From the desk of General Hux and Kylo Ren" doesn't mean that Kylo Ren has any involvement. Everyone knew on the ship that General Hux was the one in-charge because he was the one who did the paperwork, kept the ship running, and tried to keep Kylo Ren from being a total menace.

Mitaka momentarily clenches his right hand into a fist.

 _Kylo Ren might have actually followed protocol and reported my assault to the General. This could cost me my rank and may even get me court-martialed, but it was worth it. It was worth giving that molesting Sithspawn a punch in his monstrous face! And I'll do it again if I have to._ In fact, Mitaka wouldn't mind one more go at Kylo Ren. And he feels confident that the universe would approve of that act of violence.

But right now, Mitaka is heading to the meeting room with his uniform freshly pressed and his hair perfectly in place. He looks like the model Lieutenant that he is. And for once, he isn't nervous. He isn't trembling in fear. Or flinching at man-shaped shadows.

He is calm, collected, and ready to meet his fate. He hopes this meeting won't cost him his life, merely his career. He can live with being dishonorably discharged; he can just go back to Lissahl and their two (will be three in two more trimesters) little girls. He can become a stay-at-home dad, while his beautiful Zeltron wife continues being the superspy for the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force.

No more getting caf for the General. No more lunch with Umano and Phasma. No more reminding the General to eat. No more lecturing Thanisson about his inappropriate use of his slicing skills. No more taking messages for the General. No more dealing with Kylo Ren.

No more, no more….

He reaches the meeting room, only a hair's breadth away from the door. From his fate. And he almost wants to turn and run, but he remembers when he was child. When he was very, very afraid, his mother would always tell him:

 _"_ _You're my brave little Cinnamon Roll."_

She would kiss his forehead and he would become brave. His mother has been dead for decades, but the memory bolsters him. He isn't going to run away; he's going to step through the door and face the General.

And the Force gives a small cry when he steps through the door.

 _And this is how Lieutenant Mitaka's story ends…_

* * *

 **Author's Comments-** Here are the links:

This is the strawberry crêpe that Kylo makes for Hux. One of my headcanons is that since Hux grew up in the Unknown Regions, he's not used to seeing common Core foods like strawberries. But don't worry, he knows what a peach is. Why? Because of _Labyrinth_ : a href=" . "Link/a

This is the gualama that Kylo likes to compare Hux to. And from now on, Armitage Hux has a new nickname: The Ginger Gualama. However, he will always be viewed as baby ginger gualama by Darth Vader: a href=" . "Link/a

This is the guarlara that Darth Vader compares Kylo to. And from now on, Kylo Ren has a new nick name: The Dark Guarlara. However, I also want to plant this idea: imagine the Ginger Gualama and the Dark Guarlara courting each other and then having a hybrid! It would be so cute, but Vader would still have to walk them through every step of the way: a href=" . /44e1e265aea2b5c81121b45e8a971935/tumblr_nbfv08qVSy1toypw2o4_r1_ "Link/a

And for those of you who do not know what a "Shai-Hulud" is; I can tell you it's from _Dune_. Also, Hux, in my headcanon, has ridden a sandworm (but that's a story for another time) and eating Kylo's apology is equivalent of it. Also, _Dune_ both the novel series and the movie exists in this universe because kriff me Coop is just too damn hot not to: a href=" watch?v=Bj7R_2WWdKs"Link/a

The last couple of minutes of the "Angels Take Manhattan" episode of _Doctor Who_ is what inspired a bit of the tone for Mitaka's portion. Yeah, this sort of reads more like the final thoughts and wishes of a dying man instead of something like a dark comedy. It was supposed to be a lot funnier; I even had a little scene in mind of Mitaka's comm going off in the middle of night and causing him to fall out of bed and struggle in his sheets. Instead, I just went sad again. Mitaka, I am so, so sorry. You can do so much more: a href=" watch?v=TxrGUB5X-7Y"Link/a

Well, this became longer than I intended. But, in the end, Kylo and Hux made peace with each. With Darth Vader brokering that peace because the both of them are terrible at communicating with each other properly. Getting one step closer in Darth Vader's Grand Plan.

And then there's Mitaka….who has a wife, kids, and is genuinely nice person. Every Grand Plan has its casualties, and Mitaka is one of them.


End file.
